UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Methods: The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) conducted a survey, of palliative care knowledge, attitudes, behavior and training needs among healthcare providers in the Alaska Native healthcare system. A symposium was developed to address training needs. At the symposium baseline knowledge was assessed prior to the sessions and participants completed a questionnaire on the same topics 6 months after the training.

Results: Of the survey respondents, 71% stated they had cared for patients who needed palliative or end of life care. However, 73% indicated they had not received any palliative care training. The most desired method of training was an Alaska conference with nationally known speakers. The first Alaska Palliative Care Symposium was held in Alaska in May 2005 supported by twelve different organizations. The conference was well attended by American Indian/Alaska Native and public and private healthcare providers from throughout the U.S. and rated highly by attendees. The baseline questionnaire revealed significant gaps in palliative care knowledge. Preliminary data from the follow-up survey showed some improvement in knowledge. Six months after the conference, participants reported incorporation of what they learned at the conference into daily practice. The collaboration of competing organizations was instrumental in developing a conference agenda that could help improve palliative care for native cancer patients across healthcare settings